Perchance to Dream
by silverAg
Summary: The worst part of loving her was knowing that it was someone else she saw whenever she looked at him. Does happily ever after even exist for demigods?
1. Meet Marcus, son of Poseidon

Marcus was excited. It was finally his first day at camp! And not just your typical boring, old camp, he, Marcus Stevens was going to Camp Half-Blood!

Marcus had always known that he was a demigod: after his mom's death from a car accident when he was 4, his dad, Lord Poseidon, god of sea, earthquakes, etc etc, had taken him to his palace and raised him. Well, his dad tried to raise him, but being a god, he was quite busy/forgetful at times. The nereids however were great babysitters and later, playmates, and even Amphitrite (Poseidon's wife) warmed up to him after a while. (Well, he was -scratch that- is pretty irresistible. His raven black hair and sea-green eyes were quite attractive. Or so he told himself. ) Well, the nereids were great and all, but still they were some thousands of years older than him. He wanted _real_ friends, friends his age. Plus, he wanted some breathing space away from the nereids; they still treated him as if he was a kid, but gosh darn, he was already 13! Practically an adult!

So today, Marcus strode into camp, escorted by Poseidon no less. Wow, it was amazing! Lush green fields, kids sword-fighting...and by the gods, is that a centaur!? The centaur walked...clopped? down the path towards him.

"Poseidon," he inclined his head, "and young Marcus, I believe. Welcome to Camp-Half Blood. I am Chiron."

"Uh, howdy," said Marcus, thinking that Chiron would make a fine cowboy...cowhorse?

"Well," said his dad, "I should be off. Bye son. Um take care. Don't die please." In a shimmering of light, Poseidon disappeared, leaving behind the smell of seawater.

"Uh," said Marcus eloquently, "So uh, that's comforting. _Um_, can I, uh, I dunno..well...when's dinner?" Hey, a growing boy needs food.

"5 o'clock sharp. Meanwhile we will tour the camp. Follow me."

...

5 o'clock, grumbled Marcus's stomach. Finally! And YES! There was normal food, thank the gods. After so many years, Marcus was growing somewhat tired of all the seafood. Like dude, how do the merpeople not feel awkward eating fish? Isn't it somewhat cannibalistic? On the rare occasions that he got to eat burgers, well, it was hard to eat surrounded by everyone's critical and slightly revolted faces.

By that time, he had already met many of the campers (so friendly!), and instead of sitting all alone at the Poseidon table, he got to sit with the Apollo kids. Everyone cheered as Marcus was formally introduced. ("Our new camper, Matthew Steens! er Marcus Stevens! Oh whatever, blah blah." The ever-delightful Mr. D was a _great_ introducer.) After eating Marcus felt incredibly full and comfortable...Oh, and he had burnt half of his yummy pizza as an offering to his dad...hint hint, pizza is really good dad, _wayyy_ better than seaweed and salmon burgers. The campfire danced prettily, the Apollo kids were great at singing, and he was feeling quite content. His eyes fluttered closed and he was drifting off to sleep, when all of a sudden, someone yelled, "ANNABETH!" He forced his eyes open in time to see a hooded figure jump off of a pegasus. She turned, and with the light of the campfire catching on her face, he could see her pretty blond hair and gray eyes. As he looked closer, however, he could see that she seemed exhausted, her eyes looked haunted, but somehow incredibly fierce, and her hair was streaked with white. Her eyes met his. She blinked, looking shocked. Chiron cleared his throat, breaking their eye contact. She murmured something to Chiron and swept towards the darkened cabins, her cloak billowing after her.

"Who is she?" Marcus asked an Apollo kid, Will, next to him.

"That's Annabeth, daughter of Athena, our strongest fighter and a total architectural genius. She's sixteen, but she's been through a lot. Uh and you probably should try to stay away from her. She doesn't hang around camp much, always on this quest then that, but still. She's not very sociable these days."

"Why not?"

Will seemed to not hear him. "Well folks, I'm tired and I think it's time for bed. Cabin 7! Lights out in half an hour!"

The demigods walked slowly to their cabins in groups. Marcus bid his new friends good night and entered his cabin, the Poseidon cabin. Plopping on his bed, too tired to even change his clothes, in the moments before he fell asleep, Marcus was suddenly aware of a melancholy aura in the room, as if someone used to live here, but left abruptly never to return, leaving behind the faintest trace of their existence.

He fell asleep with the image of blond hair streaked with white and pretty gray eyes in his mind.


	2. Meeting Annabeth Chase

But of course, god forbid, or rather Morpheus forbid, a demigod have a peaceful night. Marcus was long accustomed to vivid dreams. They weren't terrible usually: a couple of quasi-nightmarish premonitions of nereids preparing yet _another_ seaweed and salmon sandwich, visions of some mermen fighting, or the occasional mysterious figure. Perfectly normal. Tonight however, the dream was just a series of flashes. Curly blond hair, a girl laughing, "Seaweed Brain!", a boy with black hair and green eyes much like his own smiling a cocky grin, a beautiful beach. The dream itself was happy, but Marcus felt devastated; he just knew somehow that a tragedy would happen soon. He woke up suddenly with a heavy feeling in his chest. The girl was Annabeth, he was sure. But who was the guy?

Try as he might, Marcus could not keep his eyes open long. He sank back beneath his covers and when he woke up in the morning, he was sure that he was just being silly. It was just an ordinary dream. The girl could not be Annabeth; Annabeth he met surely had never smiled nor laughed. He simply could not imagine it

...

Two months passed. Marcus celebrated his 14th birthday at camp. It was a splendid event, although some Party Ponies got _really_ boisterous and attempted to jump over the moon...that was quite the sight. Marcus loved camp life, although he longed to go on a quest. He had gotten quite talented at sword-fighting and itched to bash some monster heads. He still wondered about Annabeth occasionally. He caught glimpses of her returning from quests, but she always left almost immediately. He had tried to say hi, being the friendly person that he was, but she either had incredibly bad hearing or she was avoiding him. Probably the latter. Or maybe not: he had asked other campers about Annabeth- not stalker-like, just out of curiosity- but they all seemed to turn hard of hearing or had some urgent thing to do. Maybe some demigods had bad hearing along with ADHD and dyslexia.

It was in the woods one day when he first talked to Annabeth. She had returned from a quest with a broken right arm, and Chiron forbade her from leaving camp for a week. Anyways, he was in the woods, on a dare, hunting for a summoned harpy. Sneaking up behind it as it perched on a rock, he was about to pluck a feather, when a blade slashed it into particles of sand. He was so close to the harpy that the blade scratched his cheek, although not deeply.

"Ow!" Marcus exclaimed. "Dude, watch where you point your sharp obj..uh..objects." His voice faded as he realized that he had been talking to Annabeth. "Um hi," he finished lamely.

She glared at him, then muttered, "Sorry."

"Shouldn't you be resting? Didn't you bust your arm or something?" Bad move.

"Shut up! I'm perfectly fine. Don't treat me like a kid, kid." She turned on her heels.

"Wow. Friendly." Marcus remarked. "You know, you should get together with Triton. Do you know him? He's my half-brother. His temper is just as sweet as yours. Once, he threw a trident at me, which got him in _soooo_ much trouble with dad-"

She growled, which to Marcus seemed rather sexy. He batted the thought away. "I don't want to hear about your life, kid. Ugh all you Poseidon kids have brains full of kelp. Percy-" Her eyes widened. Then without a backward glance, she sprinted away.

"Um. Ok then," muttered Marcus. "Just randomly stop talking and run away." He stalked back to the Hermes cabin, well aware that technically, he had just lost the bet._ Now _he had to take over cleaning duty for the Stolls for a week. Stupid Annabeth taking his kill. Stupid stupid Annabeth.

Who is Percy?


	3. I Really Hate Monsters

Although he didn't act it sometimes, Marcus was a smart kid. Smart enough to deduce that this Percy was a son of Poseidon. His half-brother. He could also guess that Annabeth had some sort of relationship with Percy, that they were more than just friends. That disturbed him. No, _of course_ he didn't like Annabeth. She was older, so _rude_, and...yeesh why is he even thinking about this? Percy...was he the black-haired guy in his dreams? And something had happened between Percy and Annabeth. Did he break up with her? Serves her right, being so mean. But...he didn't exactly want her to be hurt either..._Anyways_...

…...

"Percy? Percy Jackson?" Poseidon's eyes had a faraway look in them. His face, a little blurred in the Iris-message, was wistful and a little sad. "Yes, he was my son. A true hero. But heroes do not lead the happiest of lives, and he died in Tartarus during Gaea's attempted awakening. Annabeth Chase- she was his girlfriend and had gone with him to Tartarus. I hope truly that you will never experience anything so painful." Marcus could not remember his dad ever sounding so serious. He wondered how many children Poseidon had seen die. Did the Fates enjoying screwing with demigods' lives? He didn't_ ask_ to be a demigod; he loved his dad, but he didn't ask for him to be a god, who, in a good month, might speak to him a grand total of two times!

All of a sudden, he felt ashamed. Percy Jackson had braved the horrors of Tartarus, died, and literally helped save the world. Though Marcus prided himself in being brave and believed himself to be a good person, he could not imagine himself going through hell and dying for his loved ones. His father had said that Percy died when he was 16, only two years older than Marcus was now.

The sound of the dinner conch shell broke his reverie. For once, he didn't feel all that hungry. He sat down at Hermes' table, and glanced around subconsciously for Annabeth. He spotted her white streaked, blond hair amongst those of the Athena campers. Her presence seemed to subdue the usual rowdy mood. The Hermes kids weren't engaged in pranks, even the Ares kids weren't hitting each other and making a ruckus. Everyone kept glancing at her still figure. As if realizing the tension around her, Annabeth picked at her dinner for a couple of minutes and then left. Marcus resisted the urge to run after her and comfort her. She'd probably just punch him in the face.

….

Half a year later, Annabeth came back from a mission to report that under the guidance of some mysterious figure, a troop of monsters were nearing Long Island, presumably with the intent of breaching the camp's defences. With a face of disgust, she admitted to the counselors that gathered that the monsters were too many for her to deal with by herself. It was decided that Marcus and Clarisse, counselor of the Ares cabin, would aid Annabeth in defeating the forces. The other counselors would be ready to jump in as backup if needed. Marcus adopted a blasé demeanor, but in fact, this was his first mission with Annabeth and he was terribly happy and anxious. He was a strong fighter, probably the best in camp after Annabeth, and had never failed a quest yet. But...what if he messed up and made a fool of himself in front of her? Although he had never seen her fight before, he had heard stories of her skills and accomplishments. He hoped that he could meet her standards. As Argus drove them out of camp, he fingered Riptide, the pen/sword that his father had given him and prayed to the gods that this mission would go well.

Twenty minutes later, the three demigods crouched behind several boulders, spying on the enormous crowd of ugly monsters: chimeras, dracanae, hellhounds, you name it.

"I thought you said there was a hundred monsters, _Wise Girl_" Clarisse hissed. "_This is way more than a hundred!_"

"Use your brain, idiot, if you've got one," Annabeth hissed back. "Obviously more monsters joined! Honestly, the monsters probably have higher intelligence than you."

Marcus gathered that the two girls were not exactly the best of friends. "Whoa, ladies, concentrate on the task." Both girls turned their glares at him. He sighed martyrly . He was two years younger, but the most mature of the group. Figures. "Well, what's our plan? There's like five, six hundred monsters. Shall we call for backup? I mean, I'm all for bashing some monster heads, but ah, tactical retreat does sound quite nice as well."

"I suppose that is our only choice," Annabeth frowned. "We will retreat." Clarisse grumbled, but acquiesced.

She turned around and froze. Marcus glanced at her, "Wha-" He swallowed and cursed himself for not paying attention to their surroundings.

Annabeth was wrong. They didn't have any choice left.

They had been completely enclosed by monsters.

...

"That sucks." Marcus was a concise person.

"Can we call the Pegasi?" Clarisse whispered.

"No, they'll be shot down."

"Call the others?"

"With what? We don't have phones remember?"

"Come on Wise Girl! Come up with a freaking plan then!"

"Dammit, we're surrounded by hundreds of monsters. We fight! What other plan is there?"

All the monsters were closing in.

Annabeth tensed. "Ok, we'll try to break the circle. Once we're out of the circle, I'll hold them off and you two get reinforcements." There was a shrill shriek in the air and the monsters surged forward. The three demigods launched into attack.

The monsters, luckily, were extremely uncoordinated. There was so many of them, that in their eagerness to kill the demigods, they often tripped each other and stabbed each other instead. Soon, many monsters started to fight with each other. "You stab my sister! She took 2 years to reform! Well I kinda hate her anyway. But I still wanna kill you!" "That's the 54th time you've killed him! Idiot! Don't tell me that was an accident again! I'll really call the domestic abuse hotline this time!"

Even as he fought, mechanically slashing one monster after another, Marcus could appreciate Annabeth's speed and ability. With a ivory-like sword, she neatly stabbed one monster then flipped over another, causing three monsters to crash into each other. Clarisse wasn't doing bad either; screaming "UGLY FATSO! HA! CORPSE-BREATHED IDIOT!" and the like, she electrocuted two monsters with her spear. Marcus almost laughed watching the two dracanae's hair poof out before they disintegrated.

But the demigods were tiring out. They didn't have time to eat ambrosia to heal their wounds, or even a second to rest. The sea of monsters was endless, a hundred pushed to replace every one the demigods killed, and they were smart enough to prevent the demigods from breaking through the ring.

Clarisse was the first to fall; as she twisted to kill a trio of monsters to the left of her, another, unseen, slashed her left arm from shoulder to just below her elbow. She gasped, but tried to continue fighting. She was off-balance, and soon tripped, collapsing.

"Clarisse!" Annabeth screamed, "Oh gods…"

"We're not gonna last much longer," Marcus warned. He was drenched in sweat, muscles aching so painfully.

Clarisse struggled back onto her feet, but she was staggering, her eyes squinting with pain.

Annabeth said, "Ok, split up and try to force our way out."

"What? That's crazy!"

"Trust me, our scent is stronger when we're together. If we split, the monsters will get confused. Now go!"

The three demigods dived into the crowd, pushing their way through. Sure enough, the monsters were confused. "Where…?" "I smelled one passing through just now!" "Quit shoving..HEY DEMIGOD!" "Huh?" They regrouped outside the ring and sprinted from the monsters, with Marcus and Annabeth half-carrying Clarisse.

They ran for their lives. "Gosh, Clarisse, why are you so heavy," Marcus grunted. Clarisse was apparently still awake (strong girl, Marcus thought), because she hit him rather painfully.

An eternity later, Marcus tripped, landing butt-up on the sands. Clarisse tumbled down with him, sprawling limply on the ground. Sitting up, he spat out a mouthful of sand, coughed, and then fell on his back, groaning. Annabeth tugged on his arm, "The monsters could get here any moment. We gotta go!" Marcus closed his eyes. The monsters were nowhere in sight. And plus, so what if the monsters got him. The sand was surprisingly comfortable. He just wanted to sleep…

Annabeth slapped his face. "Goddamit, Clarisse is depending on us. Our entire camp is depending on us! How could you just give up! Percy would never!"

Marcus flushed. Wordlessly (for the first time in his life), he stood up, pulling Clarisse up with him. He supported her weight and started running, or really, fast-walking. "Where to, oh-so-wise one?" Marcus snapped at Annabeth. He wasn't angry, not really. Just annoyed. And ok, slightly scared. Annabeth caught up. "I don't suppose you could summon a dolphin or two...oh we could summon the pegasii now."

Marcus grumbled, "Finally we can get home."

He should've known not to jinx it.

SCREEECHHH. From the sky pelted the ugliest birds Marcus had ever seen. They were or a dull gray color with a mottled green beak between two wickedly sharp tusks. Their talons were similarly sharp. "Do the monsters have a competition for sharpness," muttered Marcus. To his surprise, Annabeth let out a nervous chuckle. Marcus gently set Clarisse on the ground and got into a protective stance in front of her, uncapping Riptide. Annabeth mirrored his stance.

"I bet I can kill more monsters than you," Marcus smirked.

"You're going down, Seaweed Brain."

They lunged forward.

...

Thanks for reading guys! This is my first fanfic and I'm really excited about how it's turning out. Any suggestions? ^_^


	4. Painful Memories

Marcus is going to hate birds for the rest of his life. Which probably wasn't going to be that long. He's aiming at surviving the hour.

These monsters were annoying. They didn't just die, they had to leave you with horrific images, your worst memories, as they died. Marcus winced. Did his hair really stick up like that when he was a kid? And...oh gods...his mother. All of a sudden, his eyes welled up and he was a 4 year old again, screaming as his mother slammed the brakes futilely. Their car was spinning out of control on a slip of ice on the roads. Just before they slammed into the other car, his mother yanked away her seatbelt and threw herself at him, almost crushing him. He was crying then too, but his mother had smiled warmly at him, her eyes crinkling. When the impact hit, he barely felt it, but when he opened his eyes, there was a hideous splotch of red in his mother's beautiful brown hair, a splotch that was growing steadily and was dripping onto his skin. And...a slash of pain roused him. Blinking wetness, Marcus stared down at the scratch on his stomach, framed by ripped cloth. The scratch had been light, but the red that welled up was nauseating. He choked and stumbled backwards, almost as if he was trying to escape his own skin. _Don't be a fool_, he thought, _it's not like you haven't seen blood before_. He gritted his teeth and whirled on the bird monsters. They had all crowded around...Annabeth. Annabeth who was whimpering on the ground in a very un-Annabeth way. Annabeth who was sure to have much more and many more worse memories than he had. _Annabeth need help. His help._ He slashed through the monsters, almost joyfully because he had no more fears to face, and yes, also because he was saving Annabeth. But then, the frivolous thoughts scattered even as the birds scattered. Annabeth was still on the ground, her eyes blank and wet. Clarisse weakly slapped Annabeth's face, but she did not so much as flinch.

"Annabeth..." Her eyes snapped to him, but they held no light of recognition. She shuddered and grabbed both of his hands. The sky grew dark and the beach...it looked like there was veins underneath the beach and here and there, bubbles swelled and burst. The water had also disappeared.

"Uh Annabeth, where are...uh...we..." There were two Annabeth's. He looked from one to the other. The one to his left was the Annabeth he knew, because her hair was streaked with white. The other one in front of him had purely blond hair. He must be in Annabeth's memory. And, oh gods of Olympus, this was Tartarus. Present-Annabeth gasped. Battling monsters, a familiar blade twisting in the air, there stood Percy Jackson.

Percy's face was streaked with grime, but it could not hide the striking light in his sea green eyes, so much like his own. It could not hide the concern and love when he glanced at Past-Annabeth either. Marcus would have thought this too mushy to watch if it weren't for the fact that the two demigods were literally fighting to the death. He could not believe Annabeth had survived this: The number of monsters here made the monsters on the beach seem like a snow flake in a blizzard. Present-Annabeth covered her eyes. A huge chimera leaped at Past-Annabeth's exposed back. Instinctively, Marcus uncapped Riptide, but his sword slid through the chimera's body as if the sword was smoke. He could only watch as a second before the chimera decapitated Past-Annabeth, Percy sprinted and pushed her out of the way. The chimera's tail struck Percy's right arm, striking the sword out of his hand and leaving a nasty gash on his arm.

Percy swallowed a crumbled piece of ambrosia and tied a strip of leather around his arm tightly with his teeth. Why did he...oh...Chimeras...weren't their tails poisonous? Both Annabeths sobbed. Percy smiled tightly and picked up the sword with his left hand and fended the monsters off, while pushing Annabeth toward a pair of doors.

"Go, Wise Girl."

"The hell I'm leaving you."

"Well this is Tartarus." He grimaced. "Look Annabeth, someone has to save the world. I'm not gonna make it" Percy clenched his teeth, forcing the pain out of his face as he smiled at Annabeth. "Go. Our friends are depending on us. Go. I love you."

Annabeth staggered like a blind person to the elevator. Percy pushed the monsters away from her, summoning a huge wage of water that wiped out the entire field of monsters. He collapsed, turning around to smile at Annabeth one last time. The doors closed. A Titan held the button. Enormous tears leaked out of his silver eyes as he supported Percy's head. "Goodbye Bob, I hope...you can see the stars..." The scene swirled and Marcus and Annabeth were back at the beach.

Clarisse was kneeling by them. "Thank the gods." She clutched her arm. "We have to go. Now."

Marcus could see the line of monsters surging towards them.

Annabeth did not seem to hear Clarisse. She was still weeping, every whimper tearing at Marcus's heart.

The pounding of feet on the sand grew louder and louder, but Annabeth could not be coaxed up, and Clarisse was in no condition to help Marcus carry her. A chimera in the front roared, grinning hideously. _Maybe the same one that attacked Annabeth and killed Percy_. Marcus's vision turned red.

Yelling angrily, again and again, with no idea of what he was screaming, he somehow summoned a tidal wave from the beach that crashed over the monsters, sweeping every one of them away. He could see their shocked, stupid, ugly faces as they were dissolved into dust by the powerful surge of water. The water receded, leaving the beach a pristine pale yellow, unsullied by monsters. Annabeth raised her head and stared at him, her mouth shaped like a O, and her eyes, still full of tears, were lucid now. Clarisse whistled. He wanted to bask in his single-handed victory, in the fact that he was, against all odds, alive, but the world started spinning and turned into pitch-dark nothingness.


	5. Love?

For all those kids out there who complain about having a bad day because they got a C on a math test- Stop. Stop right there. My bad day consists of being attacked by a couple hundred monsters, fainting in my moment of triumph and somehow spraining my hand in the process, being carried home, unconscious, being confined to bed rest under watchful eyes- many watchful eyes on the ENTIRE body of YET ANOTHER weird guy-, being spoon-fed dinner, which of course is seafood, because you know, why not make the demigod's bad day worse...and it's only 5:30 pm. On the plus side, I was somewhat cool in front of Annabeth today. And I'm alive. Which is always good.

Alive, unlike Percy. No, I told myself, thinking about Percy would only make you feel worse. Don't think about Percy. Don't think about Annabeth crying…

That's another thing that sucks about being a demigod, really depressing thoughts. About tragic, bloody, deaths; it's just kinda unavoidable. And embarrassing moments, but that's probably just everyone. Like when, hypothetically let's say, I choke and spit out a mouthful of seaweed halfway across the room the exact moment Annabeth walks in.

We all froze: me with my mouth open and full of food, the eye-covered guy with his eye-covered hand holding a spoon in midair, and Annabeth who just stared. My face flushed, I would guess, a most lovely shade of pink. Then Annabeth laughed. I closed my mouth and blinked twice. Annabeth just laughed?! I weakly chuckled, surreptitiously wiping my mouth.

"So uh, Annabeth, are you ok? How's Clarisse?"

"Fine. They're burning our shrouds now. Look through the window, see the smoke?"

"Shrouds…? Hang on, but I'm alive. Uh I am right?"

She laughed again. Man, she had such a cute laugh. Ok, time to make a confession to myself. Annabeth was seriously cute. I can definitely appreciate Percy's taste...but obviously, she's off-limits...

"Um, is there something on my face?"

I flushed again. "Nah, I was just thinking."

"About?"

_That you're pretty and I wish I was 3 years older and I wish that your previous boyfriend didn't die_…."Nothing much."

Awkward silence. I swear you could hear my heartbeat slowly speed up.

The eye-covered man cleared his throat and held up the spoon still in his hand. _Man, I love that guy._ Annabeth got the message and smiled. "Well, you were amazing today. I'll see you around. Bye!"

After she left, I breathed a sigh of relief. Talking to girls- one girl in particular- would require much more practice.

...

Flash forward, and we're taking on the world together...just not together together. I'm 17, and Annabeth is 19. Been friends for 3 years. We go on all of these quests together and the occasional person asks, "Couple?" "Nope, just friends." She laughs it off; I sigh wistfully on the inside. Yah, I like her. Been liking her for 3 years. At least, she hasn't gone out with anyone else, but then again, she has never really gotten over Percy. She hasn't mentioned him for years, but I know she still has dreams and nightmares about him.

Life has been peaceful, for the most part. No really bad monster attacks. No demigod deaths, that we know of. No battles between immortals. Being a demigod in times like these is pretty relaxing. The worst quest I've gone on in the past month is preventing a group of drunk Party Ponies from wreaking havoc in a human bar. And that was more funny than dangerous. So, peaceful. Peaceful that is, until Percy Jackson came back.


	6. The Return of Percy Jackson

**Note: I combined chapters 3&amp;4 because I felt they belonged together. So in case you were wondering if you've already read this chapter, nope, you haven't. But I hope you will! Please enjoy :3**

The first thing Annabeth did when she saw Percy was freeze. The next thing I knew, she had sprinted toward him and flung herself at him, only to be gently held at arms' length.

"Heyy, Annabeth, you're looking good."

She was speechless for a moment and then yanked herself away.

"You're looking good? _You're looking good?_ I thought you were dead! I haven't seen you in 3 years! And all you can say to me is _you're looking good_?" Then she saw the girl hiding behind Percy. A lovely, delicate-looking girl with big blue eyes and curly, chocolate-brown hair.

"Who is she?" Annabeth's voice was suddenly quiet.

"Ah," Percy pulled the girl forward. "This is Morgana. She's my girlfriend."

Dead silence.

Annabeth froze again. She looked incredulously at Percy, as if he some monster disguised. Her mouth opened soundlessly. Then she grabbed Percy's hand and pulled him into the forest.

Annabeth's POV

_Jerk. Stupid Seaweed Brain. Jerk jerk jerk. This is so not happening. Stupid idiot Seaweed Brain. He was alive all this time and he didn't come see me. He was alive and he let me blame myself and miss him so much my heart would hurt. And he broke up with me. He has the gall to show up after all this time and drag a new girlfriend. Maybe he's teasing me. That's got to be it. He loved me. He loves me...  
_

I stopped in a clearing. His hand pulled out of mine, and I tried to hide a look of hurt.

"So...you're alive. What's the story?"

"We can talk about that later. I've got a lot of things to do." _He had never prioritized anything over me before. How could he be so abrupt? We haven't seen each other in three years...  
_

"No, no. Let's talk about it now. Depending on what you say, I might not ever talk to you again." Thank the gods my voice sounded a lot stronger than I felt.

"Look, Annabeth. I know you're probably hurt. But people change, ok? 3 years is a long time. But you're still important to me-" I couldn't listen anymore. I pushed past him and ran. Be glad he's alive at least. He's alive and he's healthy and he's safe. I am glad. But that feeling of gladness was nearly drowned by a pulsating pain in my heart.

Marcus's POV

I didn't mean to listen in. But I saw the girl I like pull her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend into the forest, I just automatically followed. That sounds just like an excuse, doesn't it? Still, what's done is done, and while I was furious with Percy for hurting Annabeth, I was also just a little...happy. Perhaps, perhaps, she will finally get over him. Perhaps, I will finally get a chance with her.

The thought vanished as I saw her racing through the trees, her white streaked hair billowing behind her. I chased after her, but man, she was fast. She heard me behind her, slowed down, and stopped with her back to me. "I don't want to talk to you." Her voice was like steel.

"No, no, you don't have to. I was just out for a run, you know? Gotta get that exercise. Wow. So you like running in these woods too? Nice scenery." I chuckled nervously.

She rubbed her eyes in one quick movement. "Oh, hey Marcus." It was obvious she had thought I was Percy. "Look, I'll catch you later. I...I don't really feel like talking." Her voice cracked.

I felt a flash of guilt. How could I have felt happy? I was so, so cruel.

I cleared my throat. "Oh, that's fine. Yah, I'll just be hanging around. Talk to me whenever. I'll be free. Yup I'll be heading, uh heading..." Annabeth was clearly crying, although she was trying to hide it. Oh gods. I hesitantly reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. She shook it off. Through the foliage, I saw Morgana walking. Percy met her and they walked towards camp, together. I tried to turn Annabeth around, but it was too late. She had seen.

She sank to the ground, kneeling on the grass, tears flowing freely down her face. In a typical cliché move, I hugged her. She didn't push me away this time. And so I just sat there, hugging her, listening to her quiet tears, glad that although I can't be Percy Jackson, the one she loves, I can be Marcus Stevens, her best friend, the one who can comfort her.


	7. Heartbreak

It would have been easier to hate Percy Jackson if he was a jerk.

But he wasn't. He was nice. And he was my brother.

Still, every time I walk around camp and see him sitting beside that Morgana, every time I see Annabeth's face fall, it's so hard to be remember his good qualities. And Morgana, what does he see in her? She can't hold a candle to Annabeth; all she ever does is cling to Percy and virtually ignore everyone else.

True to her nature, Annabeth hasn't cried once since that time nor has she ever betrayed her emotions. Though she hardly talks to Percy and never to Morgana, she is unfailingly polite. But barely, just barely, I could see that she was deeply hurt. The ever so slight tightening of her face when she sees Percy, the head turn to avoid the sight of Percy holding hands with Morgana. She was often distracted, miscalculating her architectural designs, reacting a touch slower during swordfights. Her sharp and ready retorts were gone as was the piercing look in her stormy gray eyes, replaced by a dull light. She was like a tense wire ready to snap.

Annabeth was strong, but she was still human. She couldn't keep up her pretense forever. One day, after dinner, Annabeth and I walked by the beach. She was in a rare good mood, for she had discovered a copy of an old Greek architectural scroll. To be honest, I started losing focus at the word "trigonometry." Gazing at the beautiful sunset, it took me a second to realize she had abruptly stopped. Turning to look at her, my heart clenched as I looked at her helpless expression. The cause was clear; Percy was walking, a little further down the beach, with Morgana.

And of course, the situation escalated. Morgana leaned in Percy's ear and whispered something. Perhaps not realizing that we were near, Percy smiled, saying loudly and clearly, "I love you, Morgana." When he leaned in for a passionate kiss with Morgana, Annabeth lost it.

Sobbing and gasping, she scrambled up the slant of the beach and sprinted into the woods. I chased after her, but this time she didn't stop. Panting, I yelled her name. Not even a glance back. Did she want to be left alone? Perhaps, but selfishly, I had to comfort her. It wasn't a "I want" or even a "I need"; it was a "I must." I must make sure she's not doing anything rash. I must try to alleviate her pain. I ran faster than I had ever ran before, almost right behind her, so when she stumbled over a tree root, I was there to catch her. She pushed me away.

"You needn't pity me, Marcus." Her voice was thick.

"I'm not pitying you! I'm your friend. I care about you."

"You must think I'm such a fool. I just can't get over Percy. I can't! He doesn't seem to know I exist anymore. I'm inconsequential to him. I-I feel so, _alone_. Even more so than when I thought he was dead. Marcus, I need him. I need him so much! I know I should let him go. I want to, I just can't! I want to forget. I want to forget. I-"

"Annabeth, do you really want to forget?"

"I want to, I want to, I just can't."

"Annabeth, I love you. I've loved you for a long time now. Will you go out with me?"


	8. Wait What? I'm Her Boyfriend?

Hey peeps, happy new year! so sorry I haven't updated...college apps :( well I got into my top choice at least! :)

Also, I just realized that I changed from third person to first person in the middle of the story. Oops. If this bothers anyone, tell me, and I'll fix it. ^_^

So to continue...

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Somewhere in the back of my mind, where I think about useless, pointless, stupid things, I'm wondering if I have a heart problem and if I should go see a doctor. Because really, my heart is beating so hard that it hurts, so hard that it seems as if it would fly out of my body. Perhaps Annabeth is like a magnet. Perhaps I am so attracted to her that even my heart wants to abandon me and join hers.

I stare at her eyes like a fool, eagerly awaiting and yet fearing her words. Annabeth's eyes, though still teary, were wide open. "Marcus...I..." She cleared her throat. "Marcus, I..I really like you..but.."

I smile hastily. "Hey, no need to rush. I'll, uh, wait for your response anytime. Think on it, k?" _Coward, coward, coward!_ I smile again. "I'll head back...give you some alone time..." my voice trailed off as I stood up. _Coward! No, I tell myself, I'm just giving her some time to think. Don't want to pressure her. Coward, the other part of me screams again, coward! _I turn away, and -casually, very casually and maturely- walk away.

Half a minute later, I'm tearing like crazy through the forest. I barely notice my surroundings. Which is probably how I manage to trip over a basketball-sized rock, stumble, almost steady myself, and end up falling sprawled on the sharp forest ground. So suave.

"Owww…crap" My hand was bleeding. "Owwww!" So was my knee. I lay back at stare at the sky, too tired to care or move.

"RAWWWWF!" I start. That sound never boded well...

A huge black hellhound was leaping at me, fangs bared. I roll on the ground. It leaps past me, and with alarming agility, turns. I try to stand up, but my knees falter, and it tackles me to the ground. I tense and close my eyes, ready for it to bite my head off.

Wetness. The hellhound is licking my face, like some oversized puppy.

"Mrs. O'Leary! Off!" Someone whistles. At the same time, "Marcus!" A girl's voice. The hellhound leaps up and bounds away, leaving her/his almost-chewtoy (me) groaning on the ground. I sit up, blinking at the bright light, looking at two hands reached out towards me. I grab them, and I'm almost off the ground, when, at the same time, both hands slip out of mine, leaving me to fall back down with a thud.

"Eesh, people. That hurt-" Oops.

Talk about bad timing.

Percy and Annabeth were staring at each other. Me? Completely forgotten. Or just ignored.

I groan and push myself upright, while the ex-couple fight for the eye-staring world championship. I cough. Ignored. I kick a stone. Still ignored.

A while later, it appears that Annabeth won. Percy looked away, and then at me. "Hey" He cleared his throat. "Hey bro. Sorry about that, Mrs. O'Leary is perfectly harmless. Just a bit hyper at times." He turned and looked at Annabeth. Or rather looked somewhere over her ear. "Annabeth-" Annabeth cuts him off, each word sharp like a knife. "So. So your girlfriend isn't following you around?" Percy flinches. "Um, Morgana…"

"is right here, honey" Morgana steps out from behind a tree, smiling. Talk about being a stalker. Her smile looks so fake. Does she practice it in front of the mirror? Man, I dislike that girl. For various reasons.

"Oh, hi Annabeth. Hi, uh, who are you again?" Her voice was sickly sweet. She didn't seem to care at all what my name was, but I suppose she knows some common courtesy.

"M-" Annabeth cuts in. "Marcus Stevens. Son of Poseidon. My boyfriend."

Three pairs of shocked eyes - four if you count Mrs. O'Leary's - turn towards Annabeth.


	9. Letting Go

4 months later

Annabeth and I have been dating for 4 months now.

I say dating, because, well, she _is_ my girlfriend. But we've never gone on real dates, we've never kissed, and we've rarely even acknowledge- except in front of others- the fact that our relationship is any different than before. It felt like we were just friends. It's not like I don't want to take it to the next step. I'm just too scared to break any part of our almost nonexistent relationship. She has a sort of shell around her, a don't-touch-me-or-else kind of aura that I can't break through. Did I try? Oh the jokes I told, the flowers I gave her, the underwater exhibitions that I treated her to...It was just that someone else had done all of that before me. I sometimes wished that she would just give me no response rather than those half-hearted smiles and vague compliments.

But on occasion, when we're in a good sparring battle or when she is engrossed in something, her eyes light up and her smile is dazzling. She would turn towards me and open her mouth. Usually, before _that name_ falls out, she would catch herself. Usually.

It's not like I don't know that our love was one-sided. From the beginning, from the day in the woods with Percy and Morgana, she told me that she was sorry to use me to get back at them and that I was free to break up with her any time. But she also told me that she would try her best to get over Percy.

Looking back, perhaps I knew, somehow, that she would not get over Percy. There was some kind of unbreakable bond between the two. And yet, I was willing to believe. I was willing to be deluded by the fanciful notion that someday, we would be a true pair.

4 months. I still love her, but she does not love me any more than that day. I almost think that her happiest moments with me are when she mistakes me for Percy.

4 months. Percy is still with that girl, Morgana. You know, I kinda have the feeling that he still likes Annabeth. Maybe it's because I dislike Morgana so much that I have no idea why anyone wants to date that fakely fragile and sickly sweet girl. Maybe it's because his little glances at Annabeth and his purposeful avoidance of her make it evident that he is very conscious of her. Maybe it's because he does not show any real love for Morgana. But selfish as I am, I just want to be with Annabeth a little longer. He gave up on her first. I certainly have no duty trying to get them back together. Annabeth is probably better off without him.

6 months

It's amazing the lengths people will go to deny reality. Percy and Morgana been gone for 2 months on a quest that should have taken them a couple of weeks. As demigods, we can't use cell-phones, and he is not responding to our Iris messages. Everyone is worrying. Annabeth? She's almost out of her mind with worry. She tries to IM him at least 20 times a day. She's tried contacting Poseidon. She's tried talking to every human/nonhuman she knows. Still, she tries to hide her worry, although it's so blatantly obvious. And me? I'm still going around, trying to convince myself that we're still a couple, and her concern for him was because they used to be friends and lovers.

Then one day, Percy strolls back into camp with Morgana hanging on to him like nothing had happened. He greeted us casually and apologized for making us worry, explaining that there were some unexpected troubles, but nothing serious. Annabeth took one look and strode away. The sadly wistful, almost heartbroken, expression that he made as he watched her walk away, white hair billowing, made it crystal clear to me that he still liked her. Liked her very much. So what was he doing with Morgana?

Deny it, I told myself. Pretend you never saw that expression. Convince yourself that he doesn't love Annabeth. Convince yourself that Annabeth doesn't like him, doesn't belong with him. You're her boyfriend, aren't you?

But after denial comes grudging acceptance. Stop dreaming. Her boyfriend? I was never going to have Annabeth's heart, and she was never going to stop loving Percy. As such, I should stop clinging to that fragile relationship between us that never really existed. I still loved her, enough to want her to be happy. And I knew that she would never be happy unless she was with Percy. As I lay on my bed in that lonely Poseidon cabin, listening to my half-brother toss and turn, listening to the wind howl outside, I made up my mind to let go, to let go of my first love, my first girlfriend.


	10. The Truth

Thanks for the reviews! :) I would love any and all suggestions and comments.

For those of you wondering about Percy...

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_If happily ever after did exist,_

_I would still be holding you like this~_

Percy Jackson POV

Once upon a time, there was a little boy with green eyes and black hair. His mother was a lovely, warm, loving lady called Sally. His father was the god of sea, Poseidon. This little boy grew up, not knowing of his heritage, with his mother and his mean stepfather. Kicked out of school repeatedly, this boy one day finally discovered a place he belonged, at Camp Half-Blood. He found that he was a demigod. But a demigod's life, especially that of one of the Big Three, one who never should have been born, was tough.

Once upon a time, there was a girl with stormy gray eyes and beautiful blonde curls. She left her home as a young child, away from a father who never wanted her and a stepmother who blamed her for every monster attack. She was the daughter of the goddess of wisdom and war, Athena. She, too, found a home at Camp Half-Blood.

The boy, son of Poseidon, and the girl, daughter of Athena, were at first two quarrelling acquaintances with two competing godly parents. But after many quests, after saving the world together, they fell in love. They faced difficult challenges, heck, the fate of the world rested on them, but they persevered through them all. The trials never stopped, each harder than the last, but at least they had each other.

There was a time when the boy went missing. As part of Hera's plan, he was sent to the Roman demigods' camp with no memory of who he was. He was able to remember only one thing, the name of the girl. She on the other hand frantically looked for her boyfriend. Eventually they were able to reunite. True love prevailed. They lived happily ever after.

WRONG. Happily ever after just doesn't exist for demigods. The Fates are cruel.

There came a time when the entire human civilization was under threat. Tartarus and Gaea were rising. Again with the fate of the world on their shoulders, the boy and the girl journeyed into the depths of literal hell to open the Doors of Death. Whilst fighting the monsters while waiting for the Doors to open, the boy saved the girl from chimeras but was injured and poisoned instead. Knowing that he wouldn't make it, the boy told the girl to leave while he fended off the monsters. The girl would rather have died than leave the boy, but she knew that she had to save the world, so that the boy would not have sacrificed himself in vain. Love was strong, but the Fates were stronger.

But the boy did not die. There was a sorceress in Tartarus, a powerful sorceress by the name of Morgana. She knew of the boy and had fallen in love with him. She gave him a choice of life or death. She could save him, but he had to be her boyfriend forever. The boy did not want to betray his girlfriend. He did not fear death, but he wanted to live so that he could make sure the girl was alright. He would rather live as a misunderstood betrayer, able to protect the girl and the ones he loved, than be dead, a hero but powerless to help the living.

So he accepted Morgana's offer. He chose to live. He went back to Camp Half-Blood with his new girlfriend. He saw the hurt in his true love's eyes, but he could not tell her the truth. He saw her white hair and the fragments that remained of his heart shattered into smaller pieces, because he knew he was the cause of it. He saw her claim that his half-brother, a boy named Marcus, was her boyfriend, and he prayed that she would come to truly love Marcus. He hopes that she would find happiness. He never could.

He wishes that he would be able to be close to her forever, to be able to protect her forever, but his time is running out. Morgana had saved his life, but she was unable to remove all of the poison from his body. He had been too injured. The poison is slowing seeping through him, slowly killing him. Morgana periodically tries to remove the poison, but she could only postpone the inevitable. He accepted his fate. His only regret is that he would make the girl and his loved ones despair again.

So much for happily ever afters.

Perhaps he would be able to see the girl in Elysium one day.


	11. Selfish

Sorry for the hiatus! As always, I'd love any and all reviews :)

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**Marcus's POV**

"What? You're what?" Annabeth stared in disbelief. "_You're breaking up with me?_"

If it was just a month ago, I would probably have cowered back under her steel gray eyes and razor sharp voice, pleading for forgiveness and promising to do her chores for her. Well, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but something like that.

And it wouldn't even be hard, because I wanted any excuse to be able to keep calling her my girlfriend.

But it isn't meant to be. Better save myself a bit of heartbreak while I'm at it.

"Look, Annabeth. Don't get me wrong, I still love you."

"But you're breaking up with me?" She growled.

I blinked. I actually felt a bit happy, ridiculously enough, that she wasn't leaping for joy to be rid of be. "Sorry, but I think we both know that you still like Percy. And you know what? Percy still likes you. I'm sure of it." There I said it. Now she can be rid of me with no regrets.

She blinked. Once, twice. Then slowly, a tear leaked out. "I know he does."

Talk about mixed messages. Why is she crying? Gods, I've never understood girls and I probably never will.

She suddenly flung herself at me. "Whoa, girl..um..." Next thing I knew, she was crying into my shoulder. I awkwardly patted her.

"Marcus..."

"Um yes?"

She leaned back until she was inches from my face. "You were a great boyfriend, really. I love you, I really do. But you're right, I truly love Percy. I-I'm sorry. Marcus, I wish I could have been the girl for you. I'm sorry."

Oddly enough, it didn't hurt as much as I imagined it would. "S'ok" I cleared my throat.

"Thank you. Thank you, Marcus, for breaking up with me."

"Annabeth? Please...don't look back. For me, please."

She nodded and kissed me once lightly on the lips.

Then I watched as she walked away. She didn't look back.

...

And yah, you probably expected a happily ever after right? Annabeth reunited with her true love Percy, who realized what an ass he had been and ditched Morgana. Happily ever after. Maybe even poor Marcus, that's me guys!, even found a nice girlfriend later in.

You should have known better. When has happily ever after been that easy?

...

**Percy's POV**

I stumbled. Morgana was there to support me. I used to hate her, but I don't, not anymore. Maybe I was just too tired to. I have another headache. I'm getting those more now too. I leaned against a tree.

"Percy?" It's Annabeth; I would know her voice anywhere. "Percy? Please, I need to talk to you." Please, Annabeth, go away. I can't face you now. Please, I beg you.

"Percy." She was getting nearer and her voice sounded worried. "Percy, are you ok?"

"Yes." Since when has his voice been so weak? He cleared his throat. "Yes." Marginally better.

"Percy..." Judging from the worry in her voice, not much better. Gods, his headache was getting worse, and the forest was looking more and more like a Picasso drawing. He swayed a bit and then everything turned black.

**Annabeth's POV**

Annabeth had an intense desire to punch someone, anyone but preferably Percy, or cry her heart out, or both. How could the stupid seaweed brain not tell her that he was dying? Why did he have to come back and turn her world upside down? Why couldn't he let her heart, long dead, stay dead?

She looked fiercely at Morgana. "Is there no way to save him?" "None" was the soft answer. No, she refused to believe this. There's always a way. There has to be a way. She wasn't going to lose him again.

**Morgana's POV**

I lied. There was one way. Just one. But it would result in certain death, and there was no way I was going to let Annabeth try it. I'm not being kind or considerate or nice. No, this was for my own selfish reasons. If anyone were to die for Percy, it would be me. Then he would remember me, forever.

It started out as just a small crush. I was bored and he was so cute, so heroic. I was attracted, and I saved him so that I could play with him. But somehow, somewhere I fell in love, passionately, deeply, in love. And now, I was ready to die for him.


End file.
